Apparatus for treating fabrics.



G. BUHL. APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS; APPLIOATION FILED PEB.25,1914.

. ;"1Q 9 Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GAY IBUHL, or ra'rsnsou, new was, assienon or our-HALF re s. DOUGLAS MoCAUSLAND, or PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

Application filed February 25, 1914.1 SerialNo. 820,907.

such processes as dyeing, mordanting, de-

gumming, and so forth, and it ha's' for its object to provide an apparatus in which a fabricmay be treated in a manner at once as expeditious as possible and yet calculated to produce a thorough and uniform appl cation of the liquid to the fabric and avoid injury of any kind thereto.

To this end my invention consists in certain novel combinatlons of parts, substantially as hereinafter described and finally embodied in the clauses of the claim.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical central sectional view through the improved apparatus, showing the circulating system partly in elevation; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sec tional view, showing the superstructure in elevation; and, Fig. 3 illustrates a detail.

R is a suitable tank in which the liquid with which to treat the fabric is placed. In this tank is arranged, with its axis horizontal, a drum around which the fabric is passed and which is constructed as follows: H is a hollow cylindrical shell closed, at both ends and having a hollow shaft H whose ends project beyond the ends of the cylindrical shell to form trunnions H The end walls H of said shell are extended to form flanges, as shown in Fig l; and extending from the one of these flanges to the other is a series of equally spaced radial walls H. Extending fromthe one to the other of the flanges of the end walls H and from the one to the other of the radial walls H in each instance is a curved foraminous plate P whose longitudinalends are bent of the-tank. -V-shaped in cross section, travel the rollers D, having V-shaped grooves to fit the run-' perforate the beams which would otherwise accumulate may 100 -The trunnions H of the aforesaid drum are journaled in stufiing boxes K set in opposite walls of the tank R.

V is a circulating system for the liquid in the tank, including a rotary pump T of any to suitable type and having one end'connected With one of the trunnions H='of thehollow shaft by the stufiing box U and the'ot-her" end preferably divided (see Fig. 2) and con-".

nected with the bottom of the tank. The 5 other trunnion H of the hollow shaft has fixed thereon a gear Land a pulley N, the latter being adapted to receive a belt for rotatin the pulley and hence the drum. I

The abric while being passed throughthe 70 bath may have its end-portions controlled in any desired manner. I prefer, however, to employ that herein lllustrated, wherein, E E designates two pairs of brackets surmountin the sides'of the tank and each pair 7 5 a ording upwardly convex runways as shown inclining toward the central vertical Plane On these runways, which are ways as shown and supporting, revoluble therein, the trunnions O of: the beams B. In bearings F arejournaled thetrunnions of guide beams Gr against which, due to the inclination of the runways, the beams D tend to bear. The fabric A wound on either beam B extends over the'adjoining beam G, thence down around the drum in the liquid,

thence over the other beam G to and around I find that if the liquid 99 the other beam which is squeezed out of the fabric at the point where the receiving beam B bears on the adjoining beam G is permitted to refmain there any appreciable length of, time, "it is likely, especially in the treatment of certain fabrics, todiscolor or otherwise undesirably mark them; to prevent such accumulation from takin x', so that any'liquid escape through the beam; or I. may employ where the expressed liquid can readily flow. back into the tank. The rollers G are provided' with gears M which mesh with the gear L, it being, remarked that the gears L place I preferably and M are so'p'roportioned that theIorami nous surface of the shell H and the surfacesdrum a condition of pressure which is lower than atmos heric, and in the accomplishment of this. object the blade 0 serves to exclude the admission of air to theinterior.

of the drum through the two spokes H {which happen to be uppermost at any time.-

W is a ipe for admitting steam into the tank for t e; purpose of pre iminarily heat- 'ing the liquidtherein in performing certain "treatments." To reserve the liquid at the 2,0 temperature at w ich itis intially raised by itselfin action (which might in some in-. stances be injurious to the fabric) the pump '1 may bejjacketed to conserve the heat. 2t, ".Operation: The fabric, initiall wound on, say, the right hand beam B in passed over the ,adjacent guide-beam G, theniaround the drum, then over the other. guide-beam.G"-and attached to the other 3,0,beam B. While it is being advanced in the way to be explained the pump T -is, kept operating, causing the liquid in the tank -to circulate through the system V, the-tank and q the foraminous drum 1n thedirection of the at arrow in said figure. The pump serves to maintain the pressure within the drum below atmospheric, so that .the full benefit of the thustomparatively considerable exterior pressure is available to force the liquid throughthe fabric, any possibility of the admission of atmospheric air to the interior of the'drum being prevented by the employ-v ment'of the blade 0 which acts as a valve to close the ports through the spokes H as each twoof them assumethe uppermost position; a a e paratus' of-this character to provide in a the pressure within said means below atmos-.

ph 1 a It'wiH be-understood that in circulating the liquid is drawnthrough the fabric into the chambers P thence through the spokes. into the hollow shaft H and thence through d p ump T, the. system V back into the tank. he advance of. the fabric through the liquid rotation of the drum. and, in a, measure, by the; rotation of the guide-beams G, said "drum and guide-beams bein geared together in the manner described. s the advancin 5 of the fabric proceeds the wound mass o ig. 1, is

, liquid, an So far as I am aware, 1t is new n an apis. accomplished in the present case by the ,tact with its guide-beam G. As the mass of fabric which is increasing in diameter of course increases 1n welght as the operation proceeds, such is compensated for so as to maintain the load substantially constant by 0 forming the runways upwardly convex.

If it is desired to impart an ombre or variegated effect to the abric the perfora- .tions in the foraminous wall of the drum may he graduated in size as shown in Fig. 3. s5

this; means, WlthOllt' continuing the means .l he rum includes a sealed space H which serves to make the drum buoyant, so

.that it turns with less friction in its bearings.

Having thus fully described my invent on, what I claim as new and desire to se- 0 cure by Letters Patent is .and means to reduce the pressure within said foraminous means below atmospheric pressure.

2. In combination, a tank containing the liquid with which to treat the fabric, a hollow foraminous means arranged in and serving to guide the fabric through the liquid, and means to reduce the pressure below atmospheric at one side of the part of the fabric in contact with the first means.

3. Incombination, a tank containing the liquid with which to treat the fabric, a hol- 10w foraminous drum arranged withinthe liquid with its axis substantially horizontal ind servin to guide the fabric through the means to reduce the pressure within said drum below atmospheric pressure.

f tank; or the like, a-hollow foraminous means 9: submerged inthe liquid and serving to guide;

'the fabric therethrough and means to reduce vWithin the liquid with its'axi's substantially horizontal andserving to guide the fabric through the liquid, means to reduce the pressure within said drum below atmos- 120 pheric pressure, and means to rotate the rum.

5. In combination, a tank containing the liquid with which to treat the fabric, a hollow drum revolubly arranged within the liquid with its axis substantially horizontal and havinga foraminous cylindrical wall around and in contact with which the fabric is adapted .to be extended through the liquid, means to produce a difference'in pressure as which the fabric is adapted to extend through the liquid, means to rotate-the drum and means to produce a difference of pressure as between the interior and exterior of the drum.

7. In combination, a suitable support, a rotary horizontal beam journaled therein, a horizontal fabric beam on which to wind the fabric so supported that the fabric mass wound on said fabric beam is adapted to rest on the. first beam, means to rotate the .first beam, and guides supporting the fabric beam and having their gulding surfaces inclined toward the first beam and upwardly convex'.

8. In combination, with the tank and a rotary beam on Whlch to wind the fabric after immersion in the liquid contained in the tank, a rotary roller supporting said beam, said roller being perforated whereby to allow the escape therethrough of the liquid tending to accumulate between the contiguous portions of the beam and roller.

9. In combination, a tank adapted to com tain the liquid with which to treat the fabric, a hollow foraminous means arranged in and serving to guide the fabric through the liquid, a liquid conducting means connected and communicating atone end with the first means and connected" and communicating at the other end with the tank, means to heat the liquid in the tank and a jacketed pump contained in the conducting means.

10. In combination, with a suitable support having guideways, a rotary beam having a wound fabric mass therein, rollers in which said beam is journaled arranged to roll on the guideways, a beam receiving the contact of and supporting the Wound fabric mass, and means to rotate the second beam.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GAY BUHL.

Witnesses: v

JoHN W. STEwAnn, WM. D. BELL.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

